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SLAMedia is a publication of the news for the Science Leadership Academy community. Writers come from the student body in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. We work in unison to create a functioning paper with biweekly postings on a variety of events.

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Fatima Abashera

When the silence becomes too loud; Palestine vs US Media

May 26, 2022 by Fatima Abashera Leave a Comment

Staff Writer

Fatima Abashera

On Wednesday May 11, the world awakened to the devastating news of the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian- American journalist who had spend the last for 25 years working as a reporter forthe Aljazeera, a prominent Arabic news channel. 

Abu Akleh was a very familiar face for viewers of the news channel, including myself. She covered much of the updates on Israels’ attacks on Palestine and the constant war going on there. This news for me was the climax of escalating events in Palestine and across the Jerusalem Peninsula. I appreciated her because she took a huge risk to bring light to these global issues and she was not afraid with the knowledge of how risky it was. 

As someone who has kept up with the events on this news, I found it extremely concerning that the Western Media had little to no coverage on the killing of this famous journalist because this was not just an attack on her but also an attack on the news and information surrounding what is going on in Palestine. 

 Abu Akleh was a United States citizen, so the fact that Biden and other leaders in the US have not addressed it is very concerning. Although it is unclear whether or not the Israeli forces killed her and further investigation is being worked on, the US can do a lot more to protect journalists from any potential dangers that come as a price with reporting on ongoing dangerous situations.  among the many other journalists who risk their lives everyday in an attempt to shed light on the global issues that affect minority groups. Journalism is an extremely dangerous job especially for women in the field. 

 I believe that people internationally should make efforts to help and educate themselves as much as possible.  Personally, I believe that people already consume so much media on a daily basis so it doesn’t hurt to read about issues affecting other parts of the world. Nevertheless, Abu Akleh wasn’t just a person she was a journalist and this murder symbolizes a lot more. It symbolizes an attack on the news and information she helped bring to light. 

Photo courtesy of Aljazeera News

Filed Under: Op/Ed, Uncategorized

Religion and Ramadan at SLA

May 19, 2022 by Fatima Abashera Leave a Comment

Staff Writer

Fatima Abashera

April 2nd marked the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, the holiday observed by Muslims all across the world. During this month, Muslims do many other things to build their relationship with God and strengthen their faith, including fasting from sunrise to sunset and making other sacrifices. 

Because of the continuous growth of the religion in the United States, there are so many people that are observing Ramadan that have to navigate day to day life while doing things like fasting and praying. School can be one of the many environments an individual has to navigate and this can raise questions about what it means to be a Muslim student specifically in America.

At SLA, the accommodations for students observing Ramadan include making a space for Muslim students to pray the daily prayers. 

So, how are SLA students handling this season while still being full time students?

“It definitely is harder than being at home”, Samira Ahmed a senior at SLA noted. “Sometimes it’s hard to explain these kinds of things to people”.

However, Ahmed also stated that educating other people helps them understand other religions and break through cultural barriers. 

 Muslims students can feel isolated at times especially because of the media bias surrounding Muslims, which encourages negative stereotyping. However, there are many efforts being made to help students feel welcomed in school and free to express their faith and beliefs. 

 “Yes, I think like they respect a lot of cultural differences and they make others feel more inclusive and share more about their religion. There are classes like world history that help students share more about that”, Tina Zou a sophomore at SLA expressed when asked to giver her opinion of SLA’s efforts to make an inclusive community from a non practicing Muslim perspective. Many students within the SLA community have had the impression that the community is inclusive towards the Muslim community. 

 Ramadan is recognized as a month of growth, humbleness and refresh for observing Muslims. However, as the month of April comes to a close and Eid is coming close. Lehmann says “Eid Mubarak to all who celebrate!”. 

Photo courtesy of Vecteezy

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Column: Is School Stressful?

March 27, 2022 by Fatima Abashera Leave a Comment

Fatima Abashera

Staff Writer

In the past two years, Everyone has been put in a stressful situation one way or another. However, what makes a student’s stress different? 

 The answer is school. School is a place many students experience the most amount of anxiety and stress in. Many social aspects of the school environment can lead to stress and anxiety. Whether it is sharing ideas in class or feeling the need to have friends or belong in a social sphere it is what causes student’s stress and anxiety.

 Many studies have  been conducted to assess the effects of stress and how it can further incite anxiety. More than 70% of students say that stress and anxiety is a “major problem” among their classmates. Personally, I believe that this statistic should be taken seriously and considered carefully. Mainly because school has caused me to have anxiety and higher stress levels than the average person. 

 I have had anxiety from around the time I was in middle school. This is a normal time for individuals to be very impressionable and worried about self image and meeting standards. However, for me it was a matter of feeling the need to do everything perfect and make no mistakes. Although I learned to be less anxious about being perfect, school is still the place that brings that need to be perfect out more than any other environment. 

 Anxiety is a disorder in which an individual feels strong emotions of worry and stress. These emotions are strong enough to interfere with daily life and activities. Anxiety can also be the feeling everyone gets when presenting a project or being forced to interact within a group of people. Anxiety is a medical diagnosis and there is no “cure” for it. In other words, there are ways to cut back on stressful situations and calm your mind however there is no definitive cure.  Because of this inability to cure a diagnosis like anxiety, places like school can push these anxiety-like symptoms to a high. 

 Personally, as someone who has experienced induced anxiety as a result of school it is easier for me to recognize situations in which I will be more susceptible to nerves and uneasiness. For instance, something that gives me increased anxiety at school is talking in oral presentations. For some reason, even if I know what to say I get really nervous and second guess my words or contribution. For these reasons, I try my best to avoid putting myself in situations where I will be required to share orally. However, this is a setback because in a professional work environment it is a quality to be able to speak in front of others. 

So how do you  manage stress levels by  challenging yourself and being at a place where you are allowing yourself to grow?

 Something that works for me is changing the narrative by using “if so”. For instance, if I am in a situation where I am about to present for class and I am really anxious I will say “if so I will grow from it and learn what I need to improve upon for next time”.

 These “if so” statements are directly talking about if something were to go wrong. Little things like these statements can help students figure out why they are anxious and turn things around to look at the bright side of what could be negative instances. Even more so, it is important to take breaks before getting to the point of burn out and keep your mind healthy. Taking breaks can help students clear their mind and find clarity in places where having reduced anxiety can feel impossible.

Image by Fatima Abashera

Filed Under: Op/Ed, Uncategorized

Well…Let’s Talk About Stairwells

January 13, 2022 by Fatima Abashera Leave a Comment

Fatima Abashera

Staff Writer

Image by Fatima Abashera.

As soon as a class at  SLA is over, the two major stairwells at SLA are flooded with students rushing to various floors and classrooms. This is normal for high schools however not for many high schools post COVID 19 lockdown.
After the major COVID 19 lockdown, an eventual return to school was inevitable however it had to be considered how it could be made safe for everyone. That is when the SLA administration rolled out the idea of having stairwells for two designated directions. The up stairwell was for students moving up floors, down for those moving down floors. This felt like the perfect plan to limit mobs and crowds and practicing safe social distancing. Until, students began not following protocol and using the wrong stairwells. As one can imagine, this created 5 minutes of absolute chaos at SLA everyday. There would be 30+ students at a time in the stairwell commuting in opposite directions which slowed down the commute for many and frustrated students moving through the right stairwells. Not to mention, this was not even about a smoother transition in between bands but more importantly about practicing social distancing appropriately in school. Not abiding by the SLA administration’s stairwell plan only created a COVID superspreader event in the stairwells everyday. 

 Clearly, the administration’s plan to practice social distancing and ensure a smoother commute went south really quickly because of student’s irresponsibility.

 Personally, the most frustrating aspect of commuting to different floors for me is seeing students trying to squeeze down the up- stairwell or up the down- stairwell. All it does is create chaos and rush when travelling through SLA. 

 This issue raises the question of why students are not abiding by stairwell protocol. This question is one on everyone’s mind that experiences this event at SLA almost everyday. If anything it is in students best interest to follow protocol as it is saving the school from another looming transition to Zoom school. 

Social distancing is a mechanism designed to keep individuals a specific measurement of space away from each other to slow the spread of infectious disease. Diseases like COVID 19 spread through airborne particles so it is easy for these particles to spread at a rapid rate when people are clumped together or gather in large groups. However, when individuals are a safe distance away from one another it creates less room for these particles to spread through the air.  

 Well… we talked about the stairwell, what’s next? It is important for all students to pull their weight when practicing the protocol for social distancing. Even more so ,  if a good percentage of students practice using the right stairwell, maybe there will be a visible change in stairwell traffic and even COVID cases. 

Filed Under: Op/Ed, Uncategorized

Saying Goodbye to Ms. Diane

January 13, 2022 by Fatima Abashera Leave a Comment

Fatima Abashera

Staff Writer

Saying Goodbye
Late last school year, the Science Leadership Academy community found out that Ms. Diane the secretary would be retiring in the middle of this school year.

Photo courtesy of SLA Center City Instagram

Her Legacy

Ms. Diane was the first secretary of SLA since its opening and has made a legacy and impact on everyone in the community.

Vice Principal Ann Leaness and other colleagues explained that it was what made Ms. Diane special. She had the ability to be so welcoming to everyone and the ability to become so good at her job very quickly.

“She was always really welcoming to everyone,” explained Leaness.

These attributes of Ms. Diane would be the first thing people would notice when meeting her. Ms. Diane’s friendly demeanor also allowed students’ experiences at SLA to be easier.
Sophomore Jazmine Young described her experience at SLA as having “different opportunities to excel” because of everything that staff like Ms.Diane brought to work every day.

Outside the Main Office,
Something special about the colleagues Ms. Diane worked with within the main office was the personal relationship they had with her.
“We shared stories about our grandkids’ ‘, Ms. Leaness said, further explaining the friendship they had outside of the office. Ms. Diane has made a continuous impact on the lives of the people working at SLA.

Ms. Leaness also said “She was very helpful” when she was new to the environment and learning the ropes is never easy.

Principal Lehmann has worked with Secretary Diane for the longest and has grown to love what she brings to SLA every day.

“She taught me a lot that I carry with me in my life”, he explained.

The Next Generation,
When asked about possible new secretaries of SLA, Principal Lehmann was clear:

“There’s no replacing Ms. Diane.”

However, the office staff has made an effort to choose someone that would carry Ms. Diane’s legacy every day when working in the main office. Lehmann explained that there were so many excellent candidates for the new secretary.

Filed Under: News

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